GTI engine laid the foundation for the Formula 3 successes. When Helmut Henzler won the German and European championship title in Formula Super V in 1978 with an engine built by Spiess, Spiess mechanics were on site for the first time to service and maintain the engine during all races. The first engine test bench went into operation in the same year. In 1979, Siegfried Spiess independently developed the first Formula 3 engine on VW basis. In 1983, three teams competed in the German Formula 3 Championship with Spiess-built VW engines, initially without VW factory order. The VW engine, modified by Spiess, proved its worth in Formula 3 right from the start. In 1983 and 1984, the team finished as runners-up and in 1985, Volker Weidler won the first German Formula 3 title with an engine modified by Spiess. After the success in 1987 with Bernd Schneider, VW was enthusiastic about the success of the privately organised teams and secured the services of the most successful engine tuner: Spiess. Various title wins followed. One of the title winners was the later seven-time Formula 1 World Champion Michael Schumacher. In 1990, with a VW engine modified by Spiess, he won the German Formula 3 Championship and the Macau Grand Prix, the most important and prestigious Formula 3 race in the world. After more than 10 years of success with Volkswagen, the era with Opel followed. Between 1992 and 2002, with the exception of 1994, the Opel-Spiess engine dominated Formula 3 in Germany. In Japan, Great Britain, France, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, etc., Opel-Spiess engines were used in various racing series and won championships with them. It is worth mentioning that the VW successes also brought Opel onto the scene and that it was an absolute novelty and an extreme sign of confidence that a tuner was responsible for two competing products. In 1997, a Super Touring Car (STW) engine was produced. In the German STW Championship, Opel won the brand title with Spiess. Spiess engines were also used in the British Touring Car Championship. In 1999, the South African championship followed. In 2000, Siegfried Spiess GmbH developed and manufactured a 4-litre V8 engine for the Opel Astra V8 Coupé for the German Touring Car Championship. Despite individual victories, Opel only just missed out on the championship title. Since then, Opel and Spiess became an important pillar of the world-appreciated DTM. In